2000 Annual Compliance Report

2000 Annual Compliance Report of Missouri Drinking Water Systems

Introduction

Public Water System Annual Compliance Report Shows
High Percentage of Missourians Receive Drinking Water That Meets All
Health Standards

The Annual Compliance Report of Missouri Drinking Water Systems for 2000, published by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
(DNR), is now available. The report, compiled by the Public Drinking
Water Program, describes the extent of violations by Missouri public
water systems during 2000.

This report covers Missouris 2,762 public water systems.
Of the nearly 4.8 million Missourians served by community public drinking
water systems, 98.5 percent received drinking water that met all maximum
contaminant level (MCL) standards in 2000. The MCL is the level of a
specified contaminant that cannot be exceeded without compromising public
health.

The majority of violations were for failure to meet the monitoring
requirements of the Total Coliform Rule. Total coliform bacteria serve
as an indicator that disease-causing organisms may be present. All public
water systems in the state must test for this type of bacteria every
month they dispense water to the public.

Many public water systems perform testing beyond that required by the
state. A public water system, by definition, provides water for human
consumption to at least 15 service connections or serves an average
of 25 people for at least 60 days each year. County sanitarians and
the Missouri Department Missouri Department of Health, rather than the
Department of Natural Resources facilitate water testing at systems
serving fewer people than this.

There are three basic types of public water systems. The first is a
community system, where people live and consume the water on a daily
basis. A community system could serve the residents of a large city,
rural water district, or a small mobile home park or subdivision. The
second is a non-transient, non-community system, such as a school or
factory, where people drink the water on a daily basis, but do not reside
there. The third is a transient, non-community system, such as a restaurant,
resort or campground that would not be a regular source of drinking
water for most of its pass-through customers.

The Annual Compliance Report lists all systems with MCL violations
and chronic monitoring violators of the Total Coliform Rule. A number
of systems missed collecting samples for one or two months; few systems
missed sampling for three or more months. Only 130, or 4.7 percent of
Missouri systems were listed as Significant Noncompliers for 2000.

For all violations, public water systems are required to notify their
customers long before the department issues the Annual Compliance report
and community systems send out their Consumer Confidence Report.
The method of notification varies by the violation and system type.
Water suppliers must then report back to the department how the public
notice was done and provide a copy for the system's file. The department
works closely with public water systems to help them remain or return
to compliance in a timely manner when problems are found.

The following table summarizes the violation statistics from the 2000
Annual Compliance Report.

Contaminant Group/Rule

Type of Violation

Number of Violations

Number of Systems with Violations

Organic Chemicals

Monitoring

315

15

Organic Chemicals

MCL *

1

1

Trihalomethanes

Monitoring

0

0

Trihalomethanes

MCL *

0

0

Inorganic Contaminants

Monitoring

99

9

Inorganic Contaminants

MCL *

1

1

Nitrate

Monitoring

57

57

Nitrate

MCL *

3

1

Radionuclides

Monitoring

39

39

Radionuclides

MCL *

11

7

Total Coliform Rule

Monitoring

1111

595

Total Coliform Rule

MCL *

461

283

Surface Water Treatment

Monitoring

0

0

Surface Water Treatment

Treatment

9

6

Lead and Copper

Monitoring

111

111

Lead and Copper

Treatment

0

0

Consumer Confidence Report

Reporting

151

151

* MCL = Maximum Contaminant Level

You can receive a copy of the 2000 Annual Compliance Report of
Missouri Public Drinking Water Systems by accessing the 2000 Annual Compliance Report or by writing to the address at the bottom of this page, or call 800-361-4827
or 573-751-5331.